Results of Leafy Greens Traceability Pilots Published
A group of six industry organizations (the Food Marketing Institute, GS1 US, the International Foodservice Distributors Association, the Institute of Food Technologists, the Produce Marketing Association, and United Fresh Produce Association) has released a report outlining 4 months of leafy green traceability pilots with supply chain partners, including growers, distributors, and both independent and chain retailers, offering a detailed response to the request by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for improved traceability in the food system. The three pilots, which tracked romaine lettuce through three separate supply chains and were conducted between July and October 2020, showed that investigations into foodborne illness outbreaks could be streamlined and conducted more effectively when supply chain partners provided extended product information during tracebacks. Additionally, the use of a standard template to exchange pertinent product information was found to enhance the speed of tracing procedures. All the pilots were successful in tracing the source of the affected product.
Notably, the data that enabled each pilot to independently and successfully identify the finished product lot purchased by the consumer are not currently captured by the template. These data included business intelligence such as sales data, stock rotation, inventory controls, and delivery schedules. These were critical in bracketing the scope of the traceback.
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EFSA Launches “Stop African Swine Fever” Campaign in Southeast Europe
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has begun a major campaign to raise awareness and help halt the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in southeast Europe. The campaign is aimed at countries that EFSA has identified as collectively composing a “region of concern” because of their proximity to countries where ASF is present. These are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. The campaign complements the ongoing efforts of the European Commission and other international organizations to work toward eradication of the disease in Europe, and seeks to raise awareness and understanding of ASF in all nine countries. It is aimed at groups of people and individuals who come into contact with domestic pigs and wild boar, such as pig farmers and hunters. EFSA will also engage with veterinary organizations, hunting associations, farmers’ groups, customs officers, border police, local governments, tour operators, and travelers.
EFSA is currently sharing fact sheets, infographics, and other materials at efsa.europa.eu.
Results of Leafy Greens Traceability Pilots Published
Crystal Diagnostics was issued its second U.S. Patent related to proprietary liquid crystal technology for rapid and accurate detection of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli in meat, produce, and other food types.
GS1 US Publishes New Food Retail Guideline
GS1 US has published a guideline to help the retail industry implement GS1 Digital Link, a standard that allows brands to web-enable barcodes and provide consumers with rich product information. With a single scan of a two-dimensional barcode that’s encoded with GS1 Digital Link, consumers can gain access to unlimited and instantly updated, brand-authorized content online, including product data, promotions, ingredients, recipes, and more.
Swan Packaging Wins QCS Best Collaboration Award
The QCS Best Collaboration Award honors initiatives that deliver excellence through the joint efforts of a member and supply partner working together to either solve a problem or achieve a desired outcome. The 2020 QCS Best Collaboration Award was given to Prairie Farms Dairy Inc., Edwardsville, IL, and Swan Packaging, St. Louis, whose joint collaboration resulted in a more consumer-friendly and intuitive package.
Hanna Instruments Inc. is excited to welcome Angela Iacuele as vice president of global human resources.
We R Food Safety!™, a provider of food safety software, has announced the hire of Andy Hanacek to the new role of vice president of communications.
BioSafe Systems has hired Chynette Todd as the company’s technical sales & marketing coordinator.
Pete Headridge has become the new chief executive of the Campden BRI Group, and Tim Foster has been appointed the scientific affairs director.
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) has recently confirmed Regan Lucas Bailey, Ph.D., R.D., M.P.H., CPH, Russell Dyer, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Ph.D., Don Jones, and Joe Kelsay as new officers. Additionally, several new IFIC federal public liaisons have been appointed. They include Jackie Haven, M.Sc., R.D., John Finley, Janelle Gunn, Christopher Waldrop, and William Yan, Ph.D.
ColinKurtis Advertising, a food industry agency specializing in strategic branding and communication solutions, has announced that Tory Merritt has joined the agency’s account service team as account director.
Pacific International Marketing has named their newest sales executive, Greg Villalobos, as head of the broccoli segment.
Tim York was recently named the new chief executive officer of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement.
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